The Fundacion C Hospital, where you'll
be located, is specifically for very young children who suffer from
malnutrition. The Hospital's mission is to combat infantile malnutrition and
you'll work with the paediatricians, the nutritionist, the social worker and
nurses to help the Hospital achieve this aim.
This is an internship for professionals or students of
nutrition or healthcare. You'll spend time with the professionals who
will assist you in learning all about malnutrition care in Argentina.
When you are not observing or assisting the doctors, you will be an
invaluable member of the Care Team, feeding, playing, reading, singing,
and stimulating the children in their recovery.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Location:
Mendoza Start dates: Available all year round, you choose your start date
Duration:
From 4 weeks to 1 year, subject to visa
requirements
Requirements:
No qualifications required (although it is preferable if you are
studying), but you must be interested in nurtrition or
social work / psychology / paediatrics / nursing or similar).
Intermediate Spanish required. Intensive Spanish courses available
on request in Argentina prior to your placement.
Compensation: Unpaid
Price: £1,694 for 4 weeks, ranging to £3,495 for 12 weeks. Full Price List
and other Currencies
What's included: ►Arranging
the internship,
►Full pre-departure support and assistance,
►Funds protection insurance
►Accommodation
►Food (excluding lunch)
►Meeting you at the nearest Airport
►Transfer to your accommodation
►Transport to and from your project
►In-country team support and backup
►24-hr emergency support
►Certificate of Completion.
What's not included:
Flights, travel insurance, cost of visa, return transfer to the airport.
This is part intership and part care project.
You will spend 2 days a week shadowing, observing and assisting
(depending on your level of experience) the doctors and professionals.
During this time you will get to see the healthcare from diagnosis
through to treatment and the doctors will discuss with you what is
happening and why and answer questions you may have. The other 3 days of
the week will be devoted to general care work with the children at the
Centre.
WORK CONTENT
Your work will depend on your level of
previous experience. Interns
will spend time with the doctors and nutritionists by shadowing and
observing and also discussing diagnosis of the children together. The
professionals will be happy to discuss in details the children’s
different cases with you, whatever your level of previous experience.
This hospital is keen to receive
interns and volunteers who can help with the
various different duties the hospital carries out. If you have previous
experience/qualifications in health care or nutrition you will be given
more responsibility including assisting in diagnosis. If you are not yet
qualified, you will spend your time shadowing and observing diagnosis
and treatment. You will also be able to sit in on meetings with the
doctors and the parents of the children.
The staff at this care centre are especially kind and caring people!
They are very welcoming to anyone who is ready to work and "give hands"
to their job. The head of the hospital, a Dr Gabriela Sabio, who is a
paediatrician, is keen to share her knowledge and experience of the
children with you. There is a lot of love in this hospital and a
willingness to work and devotion is all that is required for an
incredible experience.
WORKING
HOURS: The hospital
is open everyday. Office hours for paediatricians are from Monday to
Friday from 7:30 to 12:30. Doctors and nutritionists assist the ill
children every Tuesday and Thursday and on these days you will be able
to observe the professionals working on duty. The other days of the week
will be spent on general care.
THE CARE
INTERNSHIP: When you are not shadowing the doctors, on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays, you will be assisting with the care internship.
Because the children attending Fundacion C have nutrition problems they
require feeding every 3 hours. Sometimes the mothers also stay in the
hospital with their children and they are taught how to give the
children what they need in the way of nutrition to that when they leave
the hospital, they hopefully won't ever have to come back. Each child
has a very specific amount and type of food/formula that is prepared and
labeled especially for that child at every mealtime. The children's
weight, height and growth are monitored very closely during their stay
and outpatient children also have their diet at home monitored.
You’ll work for as many hours as you choose, between 8.00 a.m. and 4.00
p.m. We suggest you work for about 3-4 hours a day, at least 3 days per
week. However, you can work anything up to 7 days a week if you wish! Some of the work
you'll be involved with includes:
Helping in the kitchen
- this means preparing the meals to specific formulae for each child
to combat that particular child's nutritional needs to ensure their
recovery
Serving the food,
taking care to ensure that each child receives the food and/or formula
mix that has been specially prepared for them. Generally, these
undernourished children need feeding every 2 to 3 hours.
Helping to feed those
children whose mothers are unable to be at the hospital to help them
eat.
Playing with the children.
Playing with the children and
entertaining them, as well as giving them love, attention and care, is a
very important aspect of the project. The majority of children range
from a few months to 5 years old, and if they are fretful, unhappy and
insecure, it impedes their recovery. Your care and time spent with them
will aid their recover. Your work in this area will also enable those
mothers who are able to spend all their time staying at the hospital
with their children to get some well-deserved breaks. Although the
mothers are encouraged to spend all their time at the hospital,
including sleeping there, in order to learn how to continue to properly
feed their children after they leave the hospital, sometimes this is
just not possible. The children of these mothers, in particular, need
special care and attention.
There is a basket of mixed toys such as building blocks, kitchen sets,
cuddly toys, etc., for you to use when playing with the children.
However, there is no library of books as such to read to the children.
We would ideally like to build up a reasonable library of books that can
be used as we believe that not only will reading to the children keep
them entertained, books can also be used to teach the children in an
informal, 'non-study' environment. Colouring books are also very popular
with the children.
It is very important to have an energetic positive approach to this
volunteering project as lots of encouraging stimulation is as important
for the children and the loving care and attention you can give them.
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into
Latin America.
Real life first hand professional work experience
Friends for life
The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and knowing that you
made a difference to them.
New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding
of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional
development.
An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head
and shoulders above most others in the job market
And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!
IS IT FOR ME? Whether you are qualified and looking to give something back, or you are
still learning and after work experience whilst absorbing a new culture,
this is an excellent project for you. You are wanted here!
SPANISH LEVEL AND SPANISH COURSES WITH
TRAVELLERS You need to speak Spanish at intermediate to advance level for this
project.
Some of the work involved requires talking to the parents and first
understanding how the children have arrived at a malnutrition problem,
and then explaining to them how to solve it.
If you do not speak Spanish at all we can book you on an appropriate
Spanish course before your placement. We recommend that a 6 week
intensive course prior to your placement will be sufficient for a
complete beginner. If you have some knowledge of Spanish already we can
arrange language lessons for fewer weeks, as is required. We can discuss
all this with you by phone. Click
here for more details.
“I
am getting to observe everything that they do (doctors, social workers,
psychologist, nurses, nutritionist) in this small hospital for
malnourished children. I also occasionally get to help examine patients
as well, and when there is not a lot going on with the outpatients
downstairs, I have time to go upstairs to play with the children and
help during feeding times. The people at the hospital and my family here
have been the best thing about the experience so far. Both have been
extremely patient, generous, friendly and supportive throughout my
entire stay here. It has been an incredible experience where I gained an
incredible amount of exposure to local culture, Spanish, local
paediatric medicine, and incredible people” Mary Carroll
“…last week I spent two days at a children's
malnutrition conference for nutritionists and paediatricians from all
over the country of Argentina. I have also been taking Spanish classes
two afternoons per week at the language institute, and I have had time
to take excursions for horseback riding, rafting, canopy, touring the
surrounding mountains and touring the local wineries in the afternoons
and on the weekends.” Care Volunteer.
OPTIONAL
ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO WHILE ON THIS PROJECT:
Add
to your travel experience in Argentina by doing some additional exciting
activities - you never know, you could develop a passion for Latin American
dance, or learn a new skill!
Spanish Language Courses: You can take a few hours of private lessons a week at the same time as doing
your project. You'll be amazed at how much it will add to your enjoyment
during your stay.
There are
also lots of outdoor activities you can do in your free time. Mendoza is
renowned for activities like skiing, mountaineering, rafting, etc.
This
project can also be combined with any of our other projects in Argentina, or
you could even do a second project in a different region of the country, thus
doubling your adventure and enjoyment!
Accommodation will be arranged for you with a local host family,
allowing you to have a better insight into Argentina and become
integrated into life in the region of Mendoza. You will be provided
breakfast and for dinner you will usually share a typical Argentinean
meal with your family. Facilities in host families do vary but you will
have the opportunity to express your preferences regarding the type of
family that you stay with (for example, a family with/without children,
pets etc.).
These families have been visited and vetted by Travellers and are with
friendly and caring families who provide comfortable, warm and safe
living surroundings. You’ll most likely have access to TV/DVD and
communal dining room and you will have your own key. This is an
excellent way to improve your Spanish too! You will be met at the
airport on your arrival by your family.
TRAVEL To read about Travel arrangements and what happens when you
arrive in your new country, please
click here.
SUPPORT AND
BACKUP: To read about the excellentSupport
& Backup we provide before you leave and during
your programme,
please click here.
